A/N: Thank you to the reviewers, both signed and anonymous, and those who have put this story on "alert" or "favorites." The level of interest in this story continues to surprise me, and that (along with Taryn Streambattle's encouragement) is directly responsible for my decision to update, when I was rather inclined to leave it as is. Thank you all once again.

"Please, Koeda," Kajiki raised his hands in both defense and supplication, trying to forestall a forced ejection from their home, "Dear, please forgive me."

"Forgive you?" The kunoichi repeated, incredulous.

"It was an accident."

"No, Kajiki! It was not an accident. Dropping the dishes- that's an accident. Leaving the stove on- that's an accident. Flaying our son's face open with a kunai is not an accident!" She exclaimed, volume increasing with her ire. "It's sick! It's unforgivable!"

"I...I had been drinking," he admitted. But even as he said it, he knew the alcohol wasn't the cause for his actions. It only lowered his inhibitions, made them easier to do.

"Three drinks," Koeda said coolly, having already investigated the matter. "Beer. And weak ones at that. You weren't drunk- not by a long shot. And even if you were, it's no excuse."

"You're right," he said quietly. "You're right. I can't ask you to forgive me." He dropped to his knees. "I can't tell you how sorry I am; how much I regret what happened. I can only beg for your mercy. Please- don't keep my son away from me."

Koeda's heart wavered, and she nearly capitulated. However, she had only to remember Iruka's marred face to steel it again. "Kajiki, you already have my mercy. I did not report you, and I've coached Iruka on how to explain it away. But every time I look at my son, I have to see that horrible scar on his face, and know that you put it there. Know that I failed to protect him. I can't risk it happening again. That's my duty as his mother."

"Don't blame yourself. This was my fault, not yours." Kajiki said, looking down at his hands. "You know the manner of my upbringing. I've tried to reject it, to turn from it, but it caught up to me anyhow. What happened with Iruka was entirely my failure."

"How can I trust you not to fail again?"

Kajiki hesitated. "I don't know."

"Then," Koeda replied, "I suggest you leave until you figure it out."

Young Kajiki sprinted through the temple compound, startling several boys who were carrying water up from the well. He finally burst into the meditation hall where the monks were well into their morning ritual.

"Ninja are coming!" He gasped without preamble. "Tomorrow. Maybe sooner once they realize that I'm missing."

The orange-robed men stared up at him in surprise. The Order was never one for haste, but Kajiki had no time to ease them into this news or wait for their measured response.

The disguised ninja hurried to the front of the hall where the master monk sat to guide the meditation. Bowing low and still gasping for breath, he repeated, "Kirigakure nin are on their way. They'll destroy us if we're not ready."

"Are they indeed? Where have you been, Mikal, and who told you such things?" The master gazed up at him calmly, and Kajiki was almost impressed by the elder's imperturbability.

"I know it firsthand." Reaching into his knapsack, Kajiki withdrew his hitai-ate and dropped it at the master's feet. "Forgive me; I have deceived you. I am not Mikal, but a ninja of the Mist, sent to impersonate him." The form of a thirty-year-old monk vanished in a puff of smoke, and a fifteen-year-old ninja stood in his place.

A ripple of murmurs and a few startled gasps swept through the group. Master Peng stood slowly, calm as ever. "Ah, I noticed Mikal seemed…unlike himself. You have disguised yourself among us for several months."

"Yes sir. There is a rumor that the Order has great riches, and Kirigakure's economy is suffering. I was sent to discover the secret of your treasure."

Master Peng raised his brows, considering him. "Tell me then, young ninja- after all this time, did you find what you were seeking?"

"Yes sir," the teen nodded, "Though it was not what I expected. I learned so much under your guidance, and I would have liked to stay longer, but I had a mission to complete. I'm sorry to say that I took some of your texts with me to Kirigakure. My father destroyed them in his anger."

Another monk sprang to his feet. "Why would you bring them anything of our words? You knew the barbarians in the Mist would scorn our teachings!"

Kajiki nodded. "I knew it, but I was sent to find treasure, and after all this time I could not return from my mission empty-handed. I thought scrolls were better than bringing nothing at all. And I…" the boy trailed off and shook his head regretfully.

"And you hoped to have some influence back home," Master Peng finished for him. "I have been watching you closely, young one. While I may not have known exactly whom I was seeing, I know you have been diligent in your study and meditation, and your spirit is stirred. It is natural for a Monk to desire to teach others the path to enlightenment. I would expect no less from you."

The ninja's face brightened at the master's implication that he was one of them. Especially now, after his father had all but renounced him.

The others were not so convinced. "Master, you can't mean to compare this snake to a Monk!"

"He is but a youth," Master Peng reminded them. "His life's path has only begun; who can say yet where it will turn?"

"Kirigakure ninja are trained to murder from the womb- he could never be like us."

Another turned directly to Kajiki. "If you've been among us so long, then where is the real Mikal?"

The young ninja blinked and looked up at the man, thinking the answer was obvious. "Well, I had to- to get rid of him, to start this mission. But I haven't harmed anyone since."

"You see!" The young monk rounded on the master. "He admits to slaying Mikal, without so much as casting his eyes to the ground in shame. I suppose we're meant to admire his restraint in refraining from murdering any more of us."

Kajiki sighed impatiently. "I didn't come back to be admired. I came to warn you that others are coming to finish the job I was meant to do. Some of you will be taken for Torture & Interrogation, to try to force out the secret of your 'treasure.' The rest will be killed."

"But if we explain that we have no money or gold, won't they leave us in peace?" another monk suggested. "They can search the Temple themselves and see that there's nothing."

"That won't convince them. You could be hiding it anywhere, even away from the Temple," Kajiki pointed out. "It's not the ninja way to be merciful, and I'm afraid they will be harsher than they have to, on my account. It made the mistake of showing too much fondness for your ways."

He unslung the bag from his shoulder and pawed through it to pull out a few scrolls. "But I do have a plan. Will you listen?"

The others looked to Master Peng, and the elder nodded. "We will hear you, young one."

"Great." He straightened and looked over the men before him. "When the ninja arrive, there will be three or four at most. Only such men as can be spared from the battlefield- none of the elite. They're expecting to meet a harmless group of unarmed monks. Don't underestimate them. Our only hope is to work together. There will be many of us who will not survive the battle, but the sacrifice of some is necessary to prevent the destruction of all."

The monks exchanged troubled and disapproving glances while Kajiki unfurled the scrolls and summoned weapons. "I've brought you the swords of the Umino Armory. I know you are unskilled with weapons, but I will teach you what I can before the strike begins. Our main strength is in superior numbers – the plan is to overwhelm them with force, not skill.

"We must fortify the Temple as best we can. Also, the very young and the very old – those who cannot fight – should split up into small groups immediately and be sent into hiding. The ninja will be too busy with the assault on the Temple, and even if we perish in the battle, there's hope that some of the elders and their wisdom will escape, and some of the young will survive to learn and carry on their teachings."

Master Peng gave him a pitying look. "What is your name, young one?"

"Umino," he replied. "Umino Kajiki."

"You take your name from the sea, and rightly so. You seem placid in nature, but danger lurks in the depths." The elder sighed. "Have you been with us so long, Umino, and yet do not understand the respect we have for all life? We will not bear these weapons."

"If you respect life then do what you must to defend it!" Kajiki insisted. "The Mist ninja are your enemies. Don't imagine that they'll show mercy. Not a one of you will be spared."

"That is the reasoning of a ninja, not a monk," the master said. "Our hands will not be upon them, though they be our enemies. We will flee and hide ourselves."

Kajiki's mouth gaped open for a moment, his expression bewildered. "That- that's not an option! Time is against you, Master Peng. Without a battle to delay them, the hunt will overtake you all. Ninja are excellent trackers. There's no place to hide except, maybe, beyond the nation's borders. The Sword of the Mist will strike you well before you get there. Don't you understand?" The boy's voice grew louder as he spoke. "If you don't fight, you will die! If you care nothing for your own lives, then think of your teachings. Your wisdom will be destroyed with you."

"You speak hastily, my boy. You cannot know this for sure." Even now, the master monk was unruffled. "There are many in the Order, and we know the countryside well."

"Better than the ninja?" Kajiki barked. "I wouldn't wager my life on that. What happens if you're wrong?"

"Then we perish. But we will not betray our beliefs."

A distressed growl escaped the ninja's throat, and he paced anxiously, pulling at his own hair.

"Come with us, little brother. We will run together." To his surprise, it was one of the younger monks who entreated him. It was a tempting offer, but one Kajiki couldn't accept.

"I didn't return for all of us to die together." The boy held a sword in each hand, his expression grim. "If no one will join me, then I will fight alone. It's too much to hope that I'll defeat them all. I can't. But I will buy you time, cause them as much injury as I can, and delay their pursuit. Split up into groups, like I mentioned before. Hopefully it will take so long to dispatch of me that they won't be able to catch all the groups before they cross the borders."

"Can we not convince you to flee with us?" Master Peng asked. "Have faith. We will find a way out together."

"No, master. I'm sorry, but I know the ninja too well to have your faith. If I run, then we all needlessly perish. You taught me to value life, and I choose to die with purpose- to spend my life in defense of yours."

"I cannot allow you to shed blood in my name," the master countered. "It would be a shame to my teachings."

"No. Don't say that!" Kajiki protested, unnerved and distressed by the condemnation. "I know I'm not the perfect student, but you have changed me. I'm not the same person. I cannot- I will not- die as a traitor to the ninja and a shame to the monks."

Kajiki kneeled before the elder. "Master Peng, you've taught me so much about life, and mercy, and purpose. This final act is my way of embodying that. Please- when I enter my final battle, I want to be wearing these robes proudly."

"If you are determined to go to battle, I rather you didn't wear them at all," Master Peng replied calmly. "My boy, don't defile the robes of the monkhood with the blood of war."

"Defile!" The young ninja's face contorted in rage. He jerked himself back up to his feet. "Fine! Forget it! You're determined to reject your only chance for survival."

Kajiki's expression and voice leveled back into calm, having reached a decision. "If my sacrifice is so offensive to you, I'll just return to my clan."

"The Mist Ninja are cruel, and not easily deceived- they will know that you've warned us." Master Peng placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "How can you go back? They'll kill you for helping us escape."

Kajiki raised his sword and sliced the master's throat.

"You're right: I can't go back if I help you escape," he said to the fallen corpse. Kajiki looked down at the blood, his master's blood, gleaming wetly on his garments. "Sorry about the robes. I'm not your best student, but in a few moments I'll be the last one left. I promise to pass on your wisdom as best I can."

With those final words, he readied his sword and turned to the rest of the screaming, panicked group.

"Dad?" Iruka called quietly, padding into the living room and toward the sofa. "Why are you sleeping out here?"

His father blinked up at him blearily and smiled. With a grunt, he sat up and patted the cushion beside him, bypassing the boy's question. "Come here, little ninja. What are you doing up so late?"

"I'm not little," Iruka grimaced, but clambered up beside him anyway. He wound his arms around Kajiki's waist. "I missed you."

The man was quiet for a long moment. Then, he slid a hand into the boy's hair. "I missed you too, Iruka. Very much."

"Then why did you go away? You were gone for a really long time!"

"Iruka, I…" Kajiki sighed, and ran a hand over his bald scalp. Iruka thought it was funny-looking, the way dad had cut off all his hair. "What did your mother tell you?"

The boy frowned in thought. "Mom said you needed to leave because it wasn't safe for you to stay home."

"That's right."

"I'd protect you, though," Iruka insisted. "I'm learning how, in school."

Kajiki chuckled. "Son, there are some things I needed to learn for myself. While I was gone, I went back to school too, in a place called a monastery. I spent a lot of time in prayer and meditation. I couldn't come back until I was ready."

Iruka snuggled into his dad's side, his feet dangling over the edge of the sofa. "Was it…" he hesitated, "Was it because of me?"

"No, Iruka," his father said firmly. "It was because of me."

"But I was bad," he insisted, "and then you left. And mom gets sad when she looks at me. She cries sometimes, when she thinks I can't hear her. And when you got home today, you kept looking at my scar." He pressed his face into his father's nightshirt. "I wish I could wear a mask all the time, like Kakashi."

Kajiki gently caught the boy's chin and tilted his head up. "You don't have to hide yourself, Iruka- not with a mask, or anything else. Mom and I would never want that."

He pressed a kiss onto the raised line of flesh on Iruka's nose. "You're already a much better man than I will ever be, and I'm proud of you."